QLD · Hinchinbrook Council
Forrest Beach, 4850
Current weather
20.5°CLight drizzle
91% humidity · 5.2 km/h wind · 24° / 16.4° today · 3.6 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- High desirability
- Green suburb
Suburb profile
Forrest Beach is a quieter smaller community in Hinchinbrook, where peace, space and a country-town pace still dominate. Distance from the capital is noticeable, but the trade-off is space, calm and a community that knows its neighbours. The landscape itself is part of the lifestyle: open paddocks, big skies and room to breathe.
Retirees and empty-nesters are well represented here, with multiple generations sharing the same neighbourhood. Life here is grounded in local routine rather than big-city choice, and that is part of the charm. Housing remains accessible compared with many parts of the state.
Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.
The desirability score is below average, weighed down by weaker local dining and lifestyle amenities and community and employment against similar regional towns, even with safety holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 1,364
- Median age
- 57
- Median household income / week
- $935
- Dwelling vacancy
- 19.1%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 138 of 721
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,192
- Employment rate
- 40%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 46 / 35 / 6
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Crime & safety
- Total offences (Jan 2026 to Jul 2026)
- 55
- Against the person
- 15
- Against property
- 14
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 40.3
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 91 residents
- State safety percentile
- 51.4th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
- -10.1%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Assault62
- Drug Offences71
- Good Order Offences51
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)47
- Traffic And Related Offences101
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Period: Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Jul 2026; Jan 2026 to Jul 2026 · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
Schools & preschools
- Schools & preschools
- 1
- Median school ICSEA
- 910
- Forrest Beach State SchoolPrimary
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA
Data sources & freshness
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
Amenities
No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics
- 1
- Emergency department
- Not in suburb
- Forrest Beach Pharmacypharmacy
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Hospitals and GP clinics
Data sources & freshness
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 2/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 2/10
SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 SEIFA release
Heritage
1 state heritage place
- Muralambeen HomesteadState heritage place
Data sources & freshness
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Period: current · Updated on site
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- No overlay at centroid
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Queensland Bushfire Prone Area mapping.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Bushfire hazard overlays
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 2
- Parks (OSM)
- 1
OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)
Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap green cover features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Desirability Index
- Desirability score
- 25.2/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 6050th in Australia
- State rank
- 1402nd in QLD
- Peer rank
- #404 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #887 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 71%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Assaultcrime62
- Drug Offencescrime71
- Good Order Offencescrime51
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)crime47
- Traffic And Related Offencescrime101
- Muralambeen HomesteadheritageState heritage place
- Forrest Beach Pharmacyhealthpharmacy
- Forrest Beach State SchoolschoolsPrimary
Data sources & freshness
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Updated on site
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Updated on site
More in Hinchinbrook Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.